Free in the Sun (Competent Parents beware...Michael Jackson is driving the ice cream truck)

var rnd = Math.round(Math.random() * 10000000); document.writeln(''); document.writeln(''); //-->

Within minutes, he (son, not dad) was up to his regular speed, circling and circling the 25-yard permitted bike-riding area — from the hydrant to the big tree — joined by his big sister and little brother pedaling along on a Pretty Lady purple bike and a Bumble Bee tricycle, respectively.

Eventually, all vehicles were stored in the shed and all five Konigs traipsed inside for hastily prepared sandwiches and a round of juice boxes. On a long July day, sandwiches and juice boxes are a two-course feast.

Everything is just a little different in the summer. The rules can be changed or bent or broken, at least every once in a while.

The summer I turned ten, I was allowed to bounce a Super Pinky and play Skip-It with my sister in front of our apartment building under the watchful eye of our doorman. This was a big deal (for us, not our doorman). Our mother was very strict.

Every year when school let out, we'd be allowed to do stuff that was strictly verboten during the school year. For a while, we spent summer weekends at a little house on the north shore of Long Island. My sister and I worked our way up from only being able to ride our bikes back and forth in front of our fence (about 20 yards), to biking as far as the main road (50 yards), then to the top of the hill (seemed like miles). One day, our parents announced that we could finally ride down the hill to the rocky beach of Oyster Bay. There we could go exploring, romp with a drooling Irish Setter named Bromley, and wrestle with a local kid, Billy. I always succeeded in pinning him to the ground (Billy the kid, not Bromley the dog). It only recently occurred to me that he probably let me.

Once I ran smack into a tree in Billy's yard and split my lip. As my mom debated with my dad whether or not a visit to the emergency room was necessary, I think she wanted to rethink this whole "give the kids some freedom" approach. But the toothpaste was already out of the tube.

A few summers later, my sister had her first boyfriend and I relentlessly tagged along when they went to play soccer in Central Park. I was allowed to go because they were older and would look out for me. And they did. But it still felt cool to be in the park on our own. I think my mom also knew that my annoying presence would keep the disgustingly sweet, hand-holding, eye-gazing relationship right where it was. And it did.

These milestones always occurred in the summer when there was time, and the city was quiet, and parents had a chance to test what you were old enough to do.

Now our own kids are yearning for summer freedom. Although our daughter's nine and her brothers are six and three, most of the kids on the block are older. Ours peer enviously out of their bedroom windows as ten- and eleven-year olds scooter and bike and hang out in the street long after Konig children are confined to pajamas.

One day last summer, when our youngest was napping, I let the older two hold hands and "walk, don't run" to the ice cream truck up the block with a $5 bill. I watched as our daughter pointed to many pictures of frozen treats on the side of the truck (our son deferred to his older sister's retail savvy) before a hand emerged with two ice cream sandwiches and money was exchanged.

Over the next two months, they'll bike and trike and skate in front of our house with plenty of grown-ups standing around yelling, "CAR!" Maybe next summer it will be down to the corner and, one day, all the way to the bottom of the hill — to explore.

— Susan Konig, author of the book Why Animals Sleep So Close to the Road and other lies I tell my children, is an NRO contributor.

Somebody explain to me, why parents who generally require an FBI background check before anyone goes near their child, just let these same kids go running off whenever the ice cream truck comes around?

The man selling your kids ice cream works only three months a year. He has no real job or education. If he was offering your kids ice cream for free, you would be suspicious and call the cops. Just becuase your kids are paying for it doesn't make the ice cream man any less of a predator. Are these the same parents that leave their kids unattended with Michael Jackson because he's a celebrity? What if Michael Jackson drove an ice cream truck? Would these parents just let him bring their kids back whenever?

In the article above, the author has set strict rules and guidelines for kids. They follow them and the author seems to provide adquate supervision. Until, the ice cream truck comes around and she says how she let her kids go unsupervised with $5 up to the window. Well, let me tell you lady, that guy behind the window isn't thinking about ice cream. And if you knew what he was thinking about, you wouldn't let your kid get within 10 miles of that ice cream truck.

I am not sure why this bothers me so much. Other than the fact, you can't trust anyone any more and the idea that the bell for ice cream harkens back to a more innocent time is self-delusional at best, and putting your kids at risk at worst.

Keep Free Republic Rockin' 'Round The Clock!

Donate Here By Secure Server

Or mail checks to
FreeRepublic , LLC
PO BOX 9771
FRESNO, CA 93794

or you can use

PayPal at Jimrob@psnw.com

STOP BY AND BUMP THE FUNDRAISER THREAD-
It is in the breaking news sidebar!

!-- .subscribebox { width: 90px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-left: 2px; padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 2px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 2px; border: 1px #999999 solid; font-family: "Microsoft Sans Serif", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial; font-size: 9px; color: #333333; height: 20px } .subscribeboxstate { width: 25px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-left: 2px; padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 2px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 2px; border: 1px #999999 solid; font-family: "Microsoft Sans Serif", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial; font-size: 9px; color: #333333; height: 20px } .subscribeboxzip { width: 55px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-left: 2px; padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 2px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 2px; border: 1px #999999 solid; font-family: "Microsoft Sans Serif", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial; font-size: 9px; color: #333333; height: 20px } -->

Clean up on aisle nine!

The guy driving the ice cream truck when I was a kid was an old German guy with an accent that looked just like Heinrich Himmler. Hmmmm. Spooky.

The guy driving the ice cream truck when I was a kid was an old German guy with an accent that looked just like Heinrich Himmler. Hmmmm. Spooky.

Sounds like you were relatively lucky. I'd think the exhaust pipe going into the passenger compartment in back might have given the old feller away though.

I don't mean to suggest that our town was a little rough or anything, but our neighborhood's ice cream truck was armored and had bulletproof glass....

and with plenty of grown-ups standing around yelling, "CAR!"

huh? not in my neighborhood. I watch the neighborhood kids do all kinds of insane stunts in the road, from age 2 and 3 on up to early teens, by which time they are "downtown". And I am not out in the street yelling "CAR" although I sure would like to be, because I would be the only one, AND I have to watch my kids who only play in their fenced backyard and only under supervision. They understand that the other kids are being allowed to take risks with no benefits tied to them, and that they are neglected children. IMNSHO.

When mine were younger the neighborhood kids joined them in our safe backyard and I provided free babysitting. It allowed my kids other kids to play with, and how NICE for the other parents . . .My kids are older now and have safe, supervised activities outside the home.

I watched helplessly as a little girl scootered down the hill outside my window and fell and broke her leg. I would have liked to tell them not to do such a risky activity, but the parents would NOT have appreciated my interference . . oh! if they had been home to even know . . . but they weren't . . .

/rant

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.